Means for producing slightly-damped oscillations by shock excitation.



v A. MBISSNERL MEANS FOR PRODUCING SLIGHTLY DAMPBD OSOILLATIONS BY SHOCK EXCITATION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1010.

1,077,733. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

.1 7 v Z 3 4 1 HQ [1 :31 9" I Foe; 4 -Q o o o I o o 0 o AAA WW"- INVENTOR wnnNqgssEs Alefandar 'meissner b his Ivor-"(J9 UNITED s'rA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER MEISSNER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO GESELLSCHAFT FOR DRAHTLOSE TELEGRAPHIE, M. B. 11., F BERLIN, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4:, 1913.

Application filed June 7, 1910. Serial No. 565,558.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER Mnrss- NER, a subject of the German Emperor, and residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in of two circuits coupled with each other in suitable manner and tuned to each other, there are limits both for the maximum admissible energy per spark and for the degree of coupling between the quench gap circuit and the secondary circuits which should not be exceeded, for otherwise the quench effect if present at all is obtained only imperfectly.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a connection for facilitating the quench eflect of spark-gaps, in order to be able either to employ closer degrees of coupling when the usual quench gaps are used and to increase the ener y per spark, or to employ spark-gaps which do not otherwise quench, to obtain the quench effect. The new connection simultaneously admits of the succession of sparks being increased beyond the limits customary heretofore, because owing to the sparks being more rapidly quenched the resistance in the spark gaps rises more rapidly and consequently the time during which the spark-coil or transformer is short-circuited is shortened. This end is substantially attained by interpolating in the primary oscillation circuit which I shall call hereafter the quench gap circuit an additional spark-gap having a high-frequency current resistance connected therewith in parallel, if necessary, but in any event so, that it does not limit the charging voltage. By high frequency current resistance the art understands now adays means which offer a high resistance invention relates to means for pro to high frequency currents only, but which not necessarily also constitute resistances for low frequency currents. For instance, a coil which may have a practically negligible inductance in low frequency circuits may offer a considerable resistance to the current in a high frequency circuit. These means may for instance also be ohmic resistances or condensers or the like, and their function will be explained in detail hereinafter.

All quench spark-gaps known heretofore, whether constructed as short Wien sparkgaps, as mercury-vapor lamps, as quench tubes or otherwise, have a twofold duty to perform in the connection in which they were used heretofore. First, before the spark occurs they serve for limiting the charging of the condenser, second after the spark is formed they aid the quenching of it, because the resistance of the discharging gap-is rapidly increased by the continuous delivery of energy to the secondary circuit. According to my invention these two duties are separated. One spark-gap serves, as usual, for limiting the voltage for starting the sparks, but together with the additional spark-gap it serves for causing them to be rapidly quenched.

S me illustrative embodiments of my invention are represented in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 shows the use in connection with an ordinary oscillatory circuit of a supplementary spark gap bridged by an inductance. Fig. 2 shows a plurality of such supplementary spark-gaps in such a c1rcuit. Fig. 3 shows an arrangement slmllar to that in Fig. 1, wherein the chokingcoil 7 forms the secondary of a spark coil. Fig. 4 shows an arrangement similarto that in Fig. 1, wherein the feeder 2 is arranged between spark-gaps 3 and 4:.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, 1 and 2 designate the charging feeders, 3 denotes the main spark-gap, 6 the primary coil of a transformer, the condenser of the quench circuit, 4 an additional spark-gap, 7 a high frequency resistance, for instance a choklng coil connected in parallel with the latter, 8 the secondary transformer coil, coupled with'coil 6, and 9 the capacity of the tuned secondary circuit which 1s generally formed as an aerial for the purpose of radiotelegraphy. During the charging operation, the additional spark-gap 4 is practically shortcircuited by the choking coil 7, so that the charging tension is limited solely by the spark gap 3. When the tension at which the gap 3 is broken down is reached and the spark occurs, this ap becomes conductive and the potential of conductor 1 is now directly at one of the electrodes of gap 4, and thus also at the corresponding end of the high frequency resistance 7. The oth'er" electrode of gap 4 and the corresponding end of resistance 7 were connected before with the other side of the condenser, and therefore the potential of that condenser side exists already at that side of gap 4 and of the resistance. From this it will be seen that at the moment gap 3 is broken down the total tension is transferred to gap 4, and the high frequency resistance 7. The latter has the effect that the potential difference can not be equalized immediately and since this diflerence is greater than the tension at which gap 4 commences to break down, the gap will be broken down immediately. The difference in time between the breaking down of gaps 3 and 4 would be difficult to measure on account of the rapid succession in which these two gaps break down. From the foregoing it will be noted that this function of the high frequency resistance as characterized before may be performed by any kind of resistance, which 1s large enough to prevent the immediate equalizing of the potential difference between the two electrodes of gap 4, and aside from inductances and capacities, also ohmic resistances have'been successfully used for this purpose. When thus as explained above gap 4 has been broken down chokin coil 7 is practically cut out of circuit, an

the quench gap circuit consists of the transformer coil 6, capacity 5 and the two sparkgaps' 3 and 4. The choking coil 7 or its equivalents, as defined above, must be proportioned in the arrangement according to Fig. 1 only for a quite small strength of current, because it is not traversed by large currents either during charge or discharge.

High frequency resistance 7-=may beformed as the secondary coil of a spark-coil, as shown in Fig. 3, wherein 7 is the secondary and 10 the primary coil of an inductorium. In this event the discharge can be brought about by'the latter. Under certain circumstances the spark-gaps 3 and 4 may be ordinary spark-gaps. But the eflicienc of the entire arrangement is considera ly increased when either the one or the other or both are formedas quench spark-gaps.

The feeder 2 can be connected equally well between the spark-gaps 3 and 4 without changing the efiect of the arrangement. In this event the choking coil 7 may be done away with if the additional sparkshown in gap 4 be sufiiciently small as compared with the spark-gbap 3. This arrangement is i 4, wherein the reference numerals are t 1e same as in Fig. 1.

The quench effect is particularly increased when, instead of one additional or auxiliary spark-gap and a high frequency resistance connected in parallel therewith, several such combinations are connected in series. Fig. 2 shows such an arrangement as an example. In this figure, 1 and 2 designate the charging feeders, 3 is the main spark-gap, 4, 4", 4 are the additional spark-gaps, 5 desi ates the capacity, and 6 denotes the trans ormer coil of the extinguishing circuit; 7, 7 7 are choking coils, or one choking coil having branches, arranged in parallelv with the additional ipark-gaps. The tuned secondary circuit is rmed by the transformer coil 8 and the capacity 9. It will be noted that in this case, where each of the several spark gaps has its high frequency resistance, the gaps are broken down consecutively since one after the other receives the entire of the condenser.

In the arrangement according to Fig. 1 the disruptive voltage of the additional potential spark-gap 4 may be greater, than that of the mam spark-gap 3, when the choking coil 7 is suitably dimensioned. In the arrange-' ment according to Fig.2, each individual spark-gap 4, 4", 4 may be larger than or approximately as large as the main sparkgap.

By suitably dimensioning the starting tension of the auxiliary s ark-gaps 4 or 4, 4", 4 it is possible to o tain a maximum. transmission of energyfrom the quench circuit to the secondary circuit, exactly as this was obtained heretofore by a suitable selection of the coupling between the quench and secondary circuits.

In the annexed claims I have referred to the spark gaps 3 and 4, described hereinbefore, as two kinds of gaps. By the term kind I mean to convey the idea that these gaps have different characteristics, so far as their function in'the circuit is concerned, as explained before, and as also explained in the subsequent portions of the claims. The term -kind is not to be understood, however, to imply twolkinds of gaps which are constructively different from each other, thou h as also explained hereinbefore I may use Eor both gaps 3 and 4 quench gaps, or also only for one a quench gap and for the other an ordinary gap, so longas their above defined characteristics are only of a different kind.

1. arran cut or ro ucmg s y dampened elect i al oscillailions by shoci excitation, comprising a primary oscillation circuit, contaming a capacity, a self-mduction and two kinds of sparkaps, of diflerent characteristics, the first kllld adapted to limit the charging tension, the second kind having means for causing it to only participatein the discharge of said first kindof spark-gap, a secondary, slightly dampened oscillation circuit coupled with and tuned to said primary circuit' 2. An arrangement for producing slightly dampening electrical oscillations by shock excitation, compris ng a primary oscillation circuit, containinga capacity, a self-induction and two kinds of spark-gaps of different characteristics, the first kind adapted to limit the charging tension, the second kind having high frequency resistances in shunt with it causing it to only participate in the discharge of said first kind of spark gap, said resistances being suitably pro ortioned to form a low resistance for the c arging current, and a secondary slightly dampened oscillation circuit coupled with and tuned to said primary circuit. i

3. An arrangement for producing slightly dampened electrical oscillations by shock excitation, comprising a primary oscillation circuit,conta1ning a capacity, a self-induction and two kinds of spark-gaps of different characteristics, the first kind adapted to limit the charging tension, the second kind having means for causing it to only participate in the discharge of said first kind of spark-gaps, two feeders connectmg the electrodes of the spark-gap of the first kind with a current source, the total bridging distance of the spark-gaps of the second kind bein less than that of spark-gaps of the first kin and a secondary slightly dampened oscilla-.

tion circuit coupled with and tuned to said primary circuit.

4. An arrangement for producing slightly dampened electrical oscillations by shock excitation, comprising a primary oscillation circuit, containing a capacity, a self-induction and two kinds of spark-gaps of diflerent characteristics, the first kind adapted'to limit the charging tension, the second kind havingmeans for causing it to only participate in thedischarge of said first kind of spark gaps, one of said two kinds of sparkgaps being formed as quench gaps proper, and a secondary slightly dampened oscillation circuit coupled with and tuned to said primary circuit.

5. An arrangement 'for producing sli htly dampened electrical oscillations by shocl: excitation, comprising a primapy oscillation circuit, containin a capacity, a self-inductionand two kinds of spark-gaps of different characteristics, the first kind adapted to limit the charging tension, thesecond kind having means for causin it to only articipate in the discharge 0 said first d of spark-gaps, said spark-gaps being formed as quench gaps proper, and a secondary slightly dampened oscillation circuit coupled with and tuned to said rimary circuit.

In testimony whereof, aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' MEISSNER. Witnesses WOLDEMAR HAUPT,

HENRY HASPER. 

